Insanity Is My Reality
by Nikaty
Summary: This hotel could be the death of me...but then again, it could also be the answer to getting my life back...Previous Pen Name was It's Only Rock N' Roll
1. Chapter 1

I don't recall entering a forest. I got of off the train at my usual station and then suddenly I was surrounded by trees and a thick fog. I tried to turn back, but it seemed everything was the same no matter where I looked. Suddenly, there was a bright light before me; it was a large, brick building with writing above the door.

"Gregory House," I read aloud to myself. I did not stop to think that it could be dangerous beyond those heavy, wooden doors. I only sought shelter from this terrifying place.

Inside was dark and gloomy, yet I felt at ease for some reason; like I had been here before. The grey mouse at the front desk greeted me like an old friend, and I thought nothing of it at the time.

"Do you need a room for the night?" he asked, his voice slightly scratchy. I glanced at the door behind me, shut tight, sealing away all of the fear outside. I nodded.

"I'm Gregory, I'm the manager of this hotel," he chuckled lightly to himself, as though remembering a joke I wasn't aware of, and then continued speaking.

"You do look exhausted don't you. Well, I'll get a room ready for you." Again he laughed to himself, and while at another time I would have found it irritating as I didn't know what was funny, now it was...comforting, familiar.

"My name is Katie. Nice to meet you, Gregory."

I was lead along dimly lit hallway's until we arrived at a blue, wooden door. I stared curiously at the steel, padlocked one beside it.

"Oh, that door! Well, the creature residing in that room and is rather vicious when approached. We've had to lock it up for the safety of the guests!"

My feet approached the metal subconsciously and my hands stroked the padlock, desperate to know what it hid. Gregory slapped my hand away gently.

"Please, do not even think about opening this door, my dear! It would be a very dangerous idea indeed...."

When he opened the door to my room I was surprised at how homey it looked. It was small, and the wallpaper was a pale blue which matched the bedding exactly. There was a single orange rose in a pure white vase on the little desk in the corner. I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that orange roses symbolize passion, desire and also excitement and enthusiasm. I glanced at Gregory-suspiciously I might add- and he stared back, looking confused.

"How odd. I don't ever recall putting a rose in here. Maybe one of the other guests did?"

I sighed and decided that the old mouse was not to blame, yet if he did not place the flower there then someone must have seen me come in. I jumped as something screeched from next door. Gregory cursed.

"That damn thing's at it again!" Some thunder rumbled in the distance and the screech went off again. It was coming from the locked room.

"What kind of creature is in there exactly?" I asked the manager, who looked like he was about to explode.

"A dead creature that's what!" and he attempted to leave but I caught him by the elbow; there was no way I was letting this go that easily. He seemed to sag and he let out a deep sigh and then spoke.

"Next door, there is a cat, who is the last remnant of a family who caused us a lot of trouble. He used to be a beautiful feline with silky fur that all would admire and he lived in a mansion. Then, on a night rather like this one...." Thunder sounded again.

"Someone sewed everything shut! His eyes! His mouth! His ears! Oh how disgusting! And ever since then I have had to lock him up for safety. So please my dear...Do not enter his room...." I let of his arm, in hopes that he would not notice that I was trembling with shock.

"Good night my dear. Oh, and I would suggest locking your door, you wouldn't want to wake up and find your eyes won't open!"

My sobs joined those of the poor feline next door as the storm continued on outside....

It was 3:00 am and I had yet to fall asleep. Until half and hour ago I had been entertaining myself by listening to the footsteps of Gregory and the guests as they strolled around going about their lives. Now there was only silence, and it seemed I was the only one awake at this point. Suddenly, something moved next door. I would have missed the sound had things not been so silent, but there a tiny purr coming from next door. In a flash I was down the hall, following my mental map that let to the front desk. There hanging from a small hook was just the key I was looking for. I could tell simply because it was too large to have fit in the keyhole on my door. I grabbed it, and the second I did, I was sure my heart stopped.

"I hope you aren't thinking of taking that key young lady..." The fact that it was a woman's voice speaking and not Gregory's surprised me, and i whirled around.

"I-want-to-see-what's-behind-the-door!" I yelled before my mind began to work again. The pink lizard in front of me grinned, and laughed.

"What's your story, then?" she asked. Seemingly amused simply by me presence.

I glowered at her, and even pouted a little bit, but she did not flinch and eventually I gave in.

"My mother lives in the countryside, and I live in the city. I took a train to go and visit her, but when I got there she wasn't as alone as I thought she would be..." The nurse placed a hand to her chin and replied,

"Well, even older women need to have a romantic life as well you know, you can't deny her that." I shook my head, feeling my eyes begin to sting as the memories came flooding back.

"Fun, should not involve your daughters boyfriend..." She screeched and I actually had to cover my ears before the noise damaged my hearing.

"That's disgusting!" I nodded, my heart was growing heavy and there was a dull pain in my chest. I raised the key to eye level, and my voice cracked slightly when I spoke.

"Please, don't tell Gregory about this. I just want to see for myself what he's hiding."

She nodded solemnly, "My name's Catherine kid, but this helping you thing is a one time only deal. My needles appear to be blunt and my new ones have yet to arrive, but when they do I'll be after you and every drop of your tantalizing blood!" The lizard made an odd purring sort of noise, and though I had no clue what she was talking about, I nodded, knowing this would be the last civil conversation I would have with her.

"Goodbye Catherine."

And with those words I left her in the lobby, and continued on my journey to see the cat behind the door.

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**I'd just like to point out that Kat's story is more involved than what she told Catherine but I'm going to bring that in later on, this was just to give the basic idea of why she is there. Please review because I live for criticism-whether it's good or bad.  
Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. 2 Hole In The Head

I rushed down the dimly lit hallways, trying to be quiet but at the same time too excited to give a damn if I was caught. I tripped over my own feet several times in my haste, and at one point I toppled over completely and my chin made a violent contact with the ground. Pain shot through my head and I felt so overwhelmed by dizziness that I could not move for a few moments.

Something moved upstairs and I panicked. I staggered up, clutching the spot that was sure to be purple in the morning. Though I could see small white spots dancing in front of me I pressed on; after all I had no idea when the other guests planned to emerge from their rooms.  
Suddenly it was there; and I felt a pang of unease. It seemed as though this great metal barrier was put in place for a reason, and the key I was clutching in my hand seemed like some sort of dangerous weapon.  
_  
What if Gregory is right and the cat is dangerous? What would I be letting loose if I opened the door? Could it be some kind of monstrosity?  
_  
I shifted back from the door, perturbed by my own thoughts. Unfortunately some higher power cursed me with constant clumsiness, and I fell over once again. I stayed perfectly still and did not even dare to breathe when I heard something scuffling from the other side of the door. A tiny feline growl sounded like a bomb going off to my ears.

"Please, Gregory...let me out..." then I heard some pitiful purrs and something in my heart stirred: compassion for the creature.  
"I'm so hungry...." and then he screeched as though someone had stabbed him with a red-hot cattle-prod. That pained sound made me move in a rush, and in one fluid motion I had forced the key inside the

heavy, gold-coloured rusty padlock and turned it. I paused, feeling my heart rise into my throat. Then with a lot of effort I pulled on the heavy handle.  
As soon as I did I regretted it- an awful sound ripped through the still air. It was as though a thousand people's screams of anguish, regret and pain had been sealed behind the door, and opening it had allowed them to be heard. As soon as there was enough space for me to be able to squeeze through into the room I stopped pulling, but did not move from the spot where I was standing. It seemed as though there was nothing beyond the threshold but pure darkness. Although after several long minutes of staring I noticed the moon was shining into the room, it seemed as though the bright silver-white orb had just  
emerged from behind a cloud. The window I was gazing at it through had bars on it however, chilling my insides with the thought of prison.  
_  
Gregory wasn't joking when he meant he had locked him up.  
_  
Then, with a jolt of fear I noticed that there was another light in the room. A pair of bright, amber eyes were staring at me with vertical slit-like pupils. Cat's eyes, I realized with a shudder.  
They seemed to be studying me with great interest, although I could not be sure as I could not see the rest of the cat's body. I tore my eyes away and took a good long look and the hallway, unsure if I would ever emerge and see it again. Then with a great, shuddering breathe, I stepped inside.  
I heaved the door closed behind me, doing my best to block out the god-awful noise that invaded my ears. I blinked rapidly, unable to see anything other than those chilling orbs inside the room. The cat spoke suddenly, and I jumped with a yelp, caught off guard.

"You-you're the one who moved in next door, aren't you?" I nodded, although it occurred to me that he would not be able to see me so I gulped audibly.  
"Yes, I am," I whispered, my voice trembling. In fact, my whole body was shaking with terror, and I tried to force myself to be still. I noticed that my vision seemed to be improving, for I could see the four, grey stone walls and the hard floor made of the same material. In all honesty, I tried to look everywhere else before I saw the cat, I was afraid that he would terrify, or possibly attack me. Although at this point he seemed to be quite docile.  
"I only saw what you looked like before, I don't know your name..." and it was then I knew that I had to look at him, for he wanted to engage in conversation, and I had no choice otherwise.  
"My name is Kat...who are you?"

I was also very tempted to ask _what _he was exactly; for there was no way that a simple cat could have survived being stitched up... I gasped involuntarily when I finally looked at him.

He had matted, purple and grey fur, that I was sure had once been silky and beautiful, and his mouth was stitched over, yet there was some space that allowed him to talk. My stomach turned when I noticed small red marks around his lips were he must have surely tried to pull the thread out. His pointed ears were just the same, and his arms were threaded at the elbow, though it seemed there was no need to stretch these to move, for the thread seemed to simply be there to cause pain anyway. However, the one part about this Patchwork Cat's appearance that truly sickened me, not to look at but to simply envision happening, was that there was pale, grey thread through his eyelids. This had been pulled enough that he could open his eyes fully, but I felt bile rise in my throat when it became apparent that most of the thread had been ripped out, leaving gaping holes slightly reddish-brown with old blood. His voice was beautiful however, to a degree that it seemed to not belong to him at all, but a separate body.

"My name is Neko Zombie.... do you think I'm scary?" I shook my head, afraid that being honest would enrage him, but I was wrong.  
"I don't need your sympathy!" he exclaimed, evidently my lie was unbelievable. I whimpered as he drew closer, fear for my life clawing at my heart. He seemed to notice this, and stood very still.  
"You really do think that I'm scary..." he mumbled sadly, and I frowned.  
"I'm not afraid of your appearance really, but Gregory told me that you were dangerous and-"  
"Do not listen to that monster!" he screeched, enraged, and I backed away into a corner. He calmed instantly, and looked at me with pleading eyes.  
"Please do not listen to him, Kat...He is trying to hurt you. He wants..."

Someone ran past the room, their heavy footsteps pounding on the floor just outside. Neko Zombie silenced immediately, as though someone had merely flicked a switch and turned off the sound. His bright amber eyes darted around the room, like he was waiting for something to emerge from the shadows to claim his life. I stopped breathing, waiting for quiet outside the room again, but the footsteps sounded as though someone was running up and down that part of the hallway, patrolling, waiting for someone to leave their room.  
"Go peek out of the keyhole and see who that is..." Neko Zombie whispered, though it sounded more like a purr. I nodded, but was unsure if he saw it or not. Regardless I crept over to the door, glad that the floor was made of stone rather than wood and would therefore not creak beneath my feet. I crouched, and pushed some hair out of my eyes so I could see better, and peeked through the large keyhole of the iron door.

The hallway appeared the same as when I had left it; empty, dimly lit and silent. Then, I heard a faint sound I suspected to be coming from around the corner. It was as though I was listening to someone's heartbeat by placing my ear to their chest, and the longer I waited the louder it became. A blur of grey ran past and I jumped back a bit in shock, but I waved Neko Zombie's concern away and continued my watching. I moved my head to the right, so I could get a better view of the hallway to the left; the direction the runner had gone in. I raised a brow as I took in brown fur mostly covered by dull grey clothes, and a floppy-eared head swathed in slightly dirty white bandages. I almost gasped when I noticed the sword embedded in the head those bandages hid, and the bright red blood which steadily leaked out of it. I whispered to Neko Zombie,  
"There's a dog with a sword in his head!" in hopes that he would be able to shed some light on the situation. He nodded and made an 'ah' noise, then turned away and sat on the floor next to a ball and chain. I stared at him, mouth opened so wide it was slightly painful. There was no way that he was perfectly all right with this, the dog should be dead! Although, a cat would had been stitched for no reason probably shouldn't be alive either, the pain would be enough to kill someone at the very least, never mind the amount of blood lost.

"How can you be so calm about this; he's bleeding all over himself!" I said this as loud as I possibly could without being heard by the strange runner.  
"That's just Mummy Papa...he won't harm us at all, don't worry. And trust me; blood loss is not as lethal in this world as it is in yours." My mind went numb for a moment, and then I shook my head and was back to normal.  
"What do you mean, 'this world'? This is just a hotel in some forest that I got lost in on the way home!" He did not seem to care much about whispering now that he knew who was outside, so I decided it did not matter to me either. The cat chuckled a little bit, and looked at me as though he was waiting for me to figure out something that was very obvious.  
"Do you honestly think that any person with an ounce of common sense would put a hotel in the middle of the forest?" I opened my mouth to answer, and shut in once I realized I had nothing to say. Something creaked upstairs.  
"You should go, Mummy Papa and the rest of the guests would be no problem, but Gregory will be up soon and you don't want him to catch you coming out of here, you'll never get a moment's peace if he does." I wanted to say something to him, anything, but words failed me and my mind seemed to have stopped working correctly. Just as I was reaching for the handle however, a thought occurred to me.  
"There was a rose in my room, and it was fresh which means whoever left it knew when I was coming in. Who do you think that could be?" The fact that someone who I had never met had been watching to see when I arrived at the hotel in never even knew existed until a few hours ago was more than a little unnerving.  
"I have no idea, actually," replied Neko Zombie, sounding a little confused and concerned. "But we shall think about that another day, you have to go now!"  
I said a quick goodbye and opened the door as fast as I could, ignoring the noise and focusing on getting into my room without the hotel manager seeing me. The world rushed past in a blur of dull and lifeless colours and before I was really aware of what was happening I was lying on my bed, finally feeling tired now that the mystery of the cat next door had been partly solved. I turned around to look at the clock on the table.  
"5:47am, huh?" I mumbled to myself, my vision getting fuzzy and my eyelids becoming heavy. I had been up later than that, but never in a situation like this one. Staring at the little orange rose beside the clock, I could not help but smile to myself as I drifted off to sleep, thinking of the meaning behind the brightly coloured petals.

**

* * *

**

Well this was not as long as I planned it to be but I started writing it about six different times, and this was the best version I could come up with. The next chapter will be more detailed though. I promise. (:


	3. Chapter 3 Bon Appetite

I opened my eyes and regretted it immediately; I was still in the hotel. I had hoped that I would be home, in my own bed and that Neko Zombie, Gregory and Mummy Papa had all been a dream, but it seemed I was wrong.  
The wax from the candle on the table had melted all over the surface when I was sleeping, and now only a tiny flame was left lighting the room. I forced myself into sitting position, and looked around the small space feeling dizzy. My stomach growled suddenly and I placed a hand to it, feeling embarrassed despite the fact there was no one around to hear it.

My head was spinning and I briefly wondered if I was hung over after drinking too much. Then I remembered that I had stopped drinking a few months ago and groaned.  
I staggered up, my legs wobbling a little bit. Goosebumps appeared on my skin and I shivered a little bit with the sudden chill that was in the room. A scratchy voice from just outside my door caught my attention.

"I need to wake her up, it's time for lunch! It's bad enough that she missed breakfast..." Gregory was saying. The voice which replied almost made my heart stop.  
"Maybe give her a few more minutes; something tells me the kid had a late night." The odd, feminine purr told me instantly that Catherine was just outside as well. Why did that thought fill me with such fear? After all she had seemed fairly pleasant last night, although she did say that was because she didn't have any good needles...  
"What on earth are you talking about? I saw her go into her room and she remained in there long after I went to bed!" I smirked as I imagined the old mouse waving his arms around and hopping from foot to foot in disbelief, then I frowned. I shouldn't know he would be doing that, I never even knew him, no matter how familiar he- and this whole place in fact- seemed.

"Just trust me Greg, that kid is different from the others. I can't figure out why though..." They seemed to let their sentences trail off a lot, I wondered if that was something common here. Footsteps sounded, and I knew they belonged to Catherine because they were not Gregory's slow steady footfalls. A gentle knock made me jump, despite the fact I had been expecting it.

"My dear, it is quite late in the day, perhaps you should be getting up now if you don't mind me saying!"  
"Thank you Gregory I'll be out in a minute!" I got the impression that he would stay out there until I came out, and I didn't want him watching my door all day. Moving made my entire body ache but I refused to allow myself to sit back down on the bed. A sigh escaped my lips and I pulled open the door before I could change my mind.  
The old mouse looked a little bit startled at my appearance but quickly recovered himself.  
"Good afternoon my dear, you're up late..." There was a question hiding behind his statement and he was eyed me suspiciously. I panicked and said the first excuse which came to mind.  
"Yes, well I usually have trouble sleeping so I wake up very early, but that was the best night's sleep I've had in years!" I smiled widely at him, praying to whatever higher power there was that he didn't realize I was lying through my teeth.

"Well the chef has been waiting for some time for you to taste the dish he has prepared especially for you. Come, come."  
He led me down the hall, and dread sat like a heavy stone in the pit of my stomach. For some reason I didn't think I wanted to eat anything that had been made in this place. It seemed...dangerous.  
"If you don't mind, I'd like to step out for a little bit of fresh air first, is that alright?" The aged mouse nodded and went behind the front desk; I waited until he was sorting through papers before I moved towards the large double doors.  
The handles were large brass rings and I wrapped my hands tightly around them. Once they were open I could run back through the forest and find the train station, then I could be home and everything could go back to normal.

"WHERE IS THE NEW GUEST?!"

I jumped ten feet into the air and fell backwards and landed on my rear. A deep, booming voice had sounded from the dining room, and the owner of the voice did not sound pleased.  
"She's in here Chef, just one moment!" Gregory called back. I stood up groggily, watching the doors to the dining room, waiting for something terrible to jump out and devour me.  
"I'm sorry my dear but it seems fresh air shall have to wait. The Chef has been preparing this meal for some time and it would be unwise to keep him waiting for much longer."  
My body felt numb as I nodded at him. I crept towards the dining room, not really afraid, more anxious.  
Each step it took felt heavier and my breathing became ragged and I was sure that the other guests could hear me upstairs. The door opened with a creak and I held my breath, waiting.

"YOU TOOK YOUR TIME!" Someone screamed at me, and I instinctively put my arms around my head in hopes of keeping my brain intact.  
"I'VE PREPARED A SPECIAL MEAL FOR YOU!"  
In front of me stood, what I have to say, the strangest sight I've seen since coming to this hotel. It was a...candle, wearing a chef's outfit with a bright red apron. Two bright red orbs watched me from darkness underneath blond hair.  
"That sounds...nice," I commented lamely. I was dragged over to a table were a bowl was waiting. It was filled with a thick, swampy green coloured liquid. I briefly thought of soup, and then changed my mind; this was closer to sewer water.

"I ADDED MY SECRET INGREDIENT ESPECIALLY FOR YOU!" As I lifted to spoon I wondered how long it would take before my eardrums burst with this guy's constant shouting. As I placed the utensil into the sludge, there was on odd sucking noise, as though the 'food' was trying to devour the spoon. I gave the chef a nervous glance, and desperately thought of a way to stall.  
"I make it a point to at least know the name of someone who cooked me a meal..." I said to the candle, avoiding looking into his fiery red eyes.  
"YOU MAY CALL ME HELL'S CHEF!" I smiled at him, but my insides were slowly turning into mush.  
"My name is Kat, it's nice to meet you."  
"ENOUGH SMALL TALK! EAT YOUR LUNCH!"

He raised I giant knife which seemed to have appeared from nowhere. It was bigger than either of us, and I was sure he had the strength to cut me clean in half with it. Without hesitating I lifted a spoonful of goo into my mouth. I balked. It was as though I was eating brains that had been put through a meat grinder. Somehow I swallowed it down.  
Hell's Chef seemed satisfied with this for he left and went back into the kitchen.  
The room was spinning and I couldn't focus on anything, although I did hear voices, all mixing together horribly.

"Does it hurt?"

"I miss my mommy."

"Do we have to get rid of him?"

The voices were that of children-one child actually. And I knew that it was my own voice from when I was younger. Then, one final sentence rang in my ears as I collapsed to the floor. It was my own voice, like I was talking to myself.

"Please don't leave me all alone."

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**Well I was hoping to make this chapter longer than the last one but this is all I could come up with sadly. But I promise the next chapter will be better than this one.  
Hope you enjoyed this installment! ^.^**


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